Hyper Scape, which dropped on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in summer 2020, was a fast paced free-to-play shooter that pitted up to 100 players against one another in the neon-drenched streets of Neo Arcadia.
The battle royale, which was first revealed on July 2, 2020, marked Ubisoft's first entry into the genre. The publisher made it clear at an Ubisoft Forward event a few days later that the game was built to be competitive but to also cater to casual players.
Hyper Scape was also the first battle royale built with streamers and their audiences in mind. With a handy Twitch extension, spectators can influence individual matches by voting for in-game events. While Hyper Scape has now sadly been shut down, it will always be commended for trying something new. Here's everything you need to know about it.
Hyper Scape release date
The Hyper Scape release date was August 11, 2020.
PC players were able to get their hands on it early thanks to a special open beta, however on August 11 the game dropped on PC, PS4, and Xbox One simultaneously.
Hyper Scape shut down
Hyper Scape was shuttered by Ubisoft on April 28, 2022. This meant the game didn't even reach its second anniversary before its servers were switched off and its website was taken offline.
In its statement announcing the closure, Ubisoft said: "We have made the difficult decision to end development of Hyper Scape and shut the game down as of April 28th. We set out to create a vertical, close-quarters, and fast-paced shooter experience and we are extremely grateful to our community for joining us on our journey. We will be taking key learnings from this game into future products."
Hyper Scape gameplay
Hyper Scape was a free-to-play battle royale with 100-player matches. It saw players initially drop into a location of their choice with only a melee weapon to their name, but there were lots of weapons and abilities called 'hacks' to scavenge along the way.
Every player could have two guns and two hacks equipped at any given time – but these could be swapped in and out as the game develops.
You could also fuse duplicates of weapons or hacks you find with your current loadout to create a stronger version of your weapon. So if you were looking to increase your gun's magazine capacity or damage, you'd need to be on the lookout.
Like other battle royale games out there, the playable area would slowly shrink.
If you were one of the lucky ones to make it to the final stage of the game, also know as the Showdown, then there were two ways to win. Players could choose to eliminate the remaining enemies – as is the way in traditional king of the hill style battle royales – or steal and hold a crown for 45 seconds. While this sounds easy, the crown holder – and their squad – were marked for all to see, so be careful.
Last but not least, Hyper Scape put a unique twist on respawns. If you died in Hyper Scape, you were down but not out. You'd respawn as an Echo – which is essentially a ghost – and could scout the road ahead for your team for any possible enemies. If your team killed an enemy, they'd be able to bring you back as an active player through a portal they drop.
Hyper Scape Twitch Crowncast
Hyper Scape was been built with streaming in mind. Ubisoft developed a Twitch extension called Crowncast which allowed streamers to connect with their viewers in a new way.
The extension let viewers vote for game-changing events, such as Infinite Ammo and Low Gravity, that affected everyone in the streamer's match.
The extension also rewarded viewers with battle pass unlocks and made it easier for streamers to team up with some of their fans through a direct invite system.
Hyper Scape cross-play
Hyper Scape did not launch with crossplay, but the feature did arrive in December 2020.
That's everything you need to know about Ubisoft's now defunct battle royale. It's a shame that it couldn't stand the test of time, but the multiplayer landscape is ruthless.